When were purpose built racing canoes first designed and constructed?
One off, purpose built canoes were built at the start of the century. However they were a rarity as canoe racing was a luxury and the fact was, canoes had to be functional and utilitarian as a priority. The first recognized purpose built racing canoe was commissioned in Hawai’i by Prince Kuhio, which went on to win consecutive races from 1907-1910. Weighing 620lbs and just under 40ft it was an advanced design for the time. During the 1930’s, canoes in greater numbers began to be constructed specifically for outrigger canoe racing and from this era came the birth of the Malia canoe, which has to this day provided the founding blueprint for all racing outrigger canoes. The design was arrived at by the modification of the common fishing canoe which essentially revolved around the basic assumption that everything about it had to be streamlined, refined and made lighter. The end product was a canoe of just over 39ft and of 400lbs weight.
